Future is grounded in the past

Published: Sunday, February 23, 2014 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 21, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.

Not being the owner of a crystal ball (it's back-ordered on eBay), I have no clue what the future holds. But I can dream.

Some have predicted a future of scarcity as our connections to the global supply chain unravel. I believe hope lies in strongly rooting ourselves in past practices that have proven tremendously successful in allowing settlers and native peoples to thrive in these hills. Here's a sampling of what I hope to see in the news of the future:

This year's Hendersonville Garden Plot competition was a "phenomenal success," according to Sally Bell, coordinator of the annual competition that began in 2018. Since that time, the community garden has grown to include several orchards of fruit and nut trees, vegetable gardens and varieties of flax used by local weavers.

The garden began during a difficult time in our community's history. According to Roger Staton, then-president of the local Chamber of Commerce, "Hendersonville took a major hit when several big-box stores that we depended upon for food, hardware and household supplies closed their doors when the Asian economies collapsed and transportation costs became prohibitive."

But that disaster became "grist for the mill" for Bell. According to co-worker Dorothy Brunson, "Sally gathered us together and said we haven't lost a business, we've regained hundreds of acres of farmland." Bell went to work immediately contacting construction companies to help rip up a former big-box retailer's parking lot located on former farmland. In two weeks, a sea of asphalt had been reclaimed by nature and the community.

Bell organized community members to buy garden plots, brought in old-time farmers who still remembered how to grow food without using chemical pesticides and fertilizers to teach workshops, and within two years the former big-box site became, in the words of Brunson, "a paradise of community farms."

Now the community garden feeds several hundred people through much of the year with enough surplus food to fill the coffers of the local food bank and supply two tailgate markets.

"Not only is our community eating better, but we're also spending more time together," Bell said. "Neighbors are visiting with neighbors again, weekend barbecues are coming back, and we're re-building our sense of community, one garden plot, one community at a time."

Things are looking up for local builders, and in the one of the least expected places — the realm of natural building. Not long ago, cob and cordwood construction was considered a form of building relegated to tree-huggers. Now it's the leading form of construction here in the mountains.

As more locals have discovered, cob is a building material composed of clay, sand and straw that initially leads people to believe they're building mud huts that will dissolve after the first rainstorm but instead are very sturdy structures, some lasting hundreds of years.

Yet, as building materials like concrete and wallboard disappeared as a result of the erosion of global supply chains during the financial storms of the recent past, homeowners and builders searched for building supplies and techniques that were more sustainable.

According to Hendersonville Homebuilders Association President John Jones, "Cob and cordwood construction has really given a shot in the arm to our industry. Not only are the homes we're building stronger and more energy efficient than what we built before, but they're beautiful works of art that literally come from the ground where the home is being built."

Cordwood construction has been around for thousands of years. Cordwood buildings are made of bundles of wood and mortar that are extremely efficient and as easy to build as they are beautiful.

George Franks, owner of a newly built cordwood home, said, "We're thrilled with our new home. Not only was it cheaper to build than re-doing the garage I had built years ago, but it has a more homey feeling than aluminum siding. Knowing that 90 percent of my home was built from materials within 5 miles from my home makes it extra special."

Edneyville residents were convinced some time ago of the virtues of cob construction when their neighborhood church, Church of the Holy Redeemer, burned down several years ago. According to the Rev. Fredrick Hollaway, "We wanted to rebuild consistent with the Scriptures that dictate that we be good stewards of creation. By building a cob-constructed church, not only do we have an efficient structure that demonstrates our beliefs, but we've built one that didn't require an onerous fundraising campaign that our congregants could ill afford."

Many locals chuckle when they think of the "good" old days when medicine was $5 a pill and had side effects requiring more bottles and even more side effects, making many residents walking indebted medicine cabinets. Today, the bounty of medicine available from local plants and local remedies once called "granny medicine" is experiencing a revival, and none too soon for many local residents.

According to Lacey Witherspoon, a registered nurse, "Years ago we thought granny medicine was unscientific. Now we're realizing many pharmaceuticals of the past were based on the same plant-based cures we used years ago, except they were more potent and more harmful. Cures such as elderberry for viruses, poplar bark and beet root for coughs, and blackberry root for diarrhea are becoming a staple again in many households."

David Weintraub is a writer, filmmaker and environmental troublemaker who runs the Center for Cultural Preservation. He can be reached at 828-692-8062 or www.saveculture.org.

<p>Not being the owner of a crystal ball (it's back-ordered on eBay), I have no clue what the future holds. But I can dream.</p><p>Some have predicted a future of scarcity as our connections to the global supply chain unravel. I believe hope lies in strongly rooting ourselves in past practices that have proven tremendously successful in allowing settlers and native peoples to thrive in these hills. Here's a sampling of what I hope to see in the news of the future:</p><p><b> "Competition for garden plots remains stiff," (Hendersonville, July 27, 2024):</b></p><p>This year's Hendersonville Garden Plot competition was a "phenomenal success," according to Sally Bell, coordinator of the annual competition that began in 2018. Since that time, the community garden has grown to include several orchards of fruit and nut trees, vegetable gardens and varieties of flax used by local weavers.</p><p>The garden began during a difficult time in our community's history. According to Roger Staton, then-president of the local Chamber of Commerce, "Hendersonville took a major hit when several big-box stores that we depended upon for food, hardware and household supplies closed their doors when the Asian economies collapsed and transportation costs became prohibitive."</p><p>But that disaster became "grist for the mill" for Bell. According to co-worker Dorothy Brunson, "Sally gathered us together and said we haven't lost a business, we've regained hundreds of acres of farmland." Bell went to work immediately contacting construction companies to help rip up a former big-box retailer's parking lot located on former farmland. In two weeks, a sea of asphalt had been reclaimed by nature and the community.</p><p>Bell organized community members to buy garden plots, brought in old-time farmers who still remembered how to grow food without using chemical pesticides and fertilizers to teach workshops, and within two years the former big-box site became, in the words of Brunson, "a paradise of community farms."</p><p>Now the community garden feeds several hundred people through much of the year with enough surplus food to fill the coffers of the local food bank and supply two tailgate markets.</p><p>"Not only is our community eating better, but we're also spending more time together," Bell said. "Neighbors are visiting with neighbors again, weekend barbecues are coming back, and we're re-building our sense of community, one garden plot, one community at a time."</p><p><b> "Construction industry sees new possibilities," (Hendersonville, Feb. 18, 2031):</b></p><p>Things are looking up for local builders, and in the one of the least expected places — the realm of natural building. Not long ago, cob and cordwood construction was considered a form of building relegated to tree-huggers. Now it's the leading form of construction here in the mountains.</p><p>As more locals have discovered, cob is a building material composed of clay, sand and straw that initially leads people to believe they're building mud huts that will dissolve after the first rainstorm but instead are very sturdy structures, some lasting hundreds of years.</p><p>Yet, as building materials like concrete and wallboard disappeared as a result of the erosion of global supply chains during the financial storms of the recent past, homeowners and builders searched for building supplies and techniques that were more sustainable.</p><p>According to Hendersonville Homebuilders Association President John Jones, "Cob and cordwood construction has really given a shot in the arm to our industry. Not only are the homes we're building stronger and more energy efficient than what we built before, but they're beautiful works of art that literally come from the ground where the home is being built."</p><p>Cordwood construction has been around for thousands of years. Cordwood buildings are made of bundles of wood and mortar that are extremely efficient and as easy to build as they are beautiful.</p><p>George Franks, owner of a newly built cordwood home, said, "We're thrilled with our new home. Not only was it cheaper to build than re-doing the garage I had built years ago, but it has a more homey feeling than aluminum siding. Knowing that 90 percent of my home was built from materials within 5 miles from my home makes it extra special."</p><p>Edneyville residents were convinced some time ago of the virtues of cob construction when their neighborhood church, Church of the Holy Redeemer, burned down several years ago. According to the Rev. Fredrick Hollaway, "We wanted to rebuild consistent with the Scriptures that dictate that we be good stewards of creation. By building a cob-constructed church, not only do we have an efficient structure that demonstrates our beliefs, but we've built one that didn't require an onerous fundraising campaign that our congregants could ill afford."</p><p><b> "Granny medicine, the new affordable medical system," (Hendersonville, May 2, 2033):</b></p><p>Many locals chuckle when they think of the "good" old days when medicine was $5 a pill and had side effects requiring more bottles and even more side effects, making many residents walking indebted medicine cabinets. Today, the bounty of medicine available from local plants and local remedies once called "granny medicine" is experiencing a revival, and none too soon for many local residents.</p><p>According to Lacey Witherspoon, a registered nurse, "Years ago we thought granny medicine was unscientific. Now we're realizing many pharmaceuticals of the past were based on the same plant-based cures we used years ago, except they were more potent and more harmful. Cures such as elderberry for viruses, poplar bark and beet root for coughs, and blackberry root for diarrhea are becoming a staple again in many households."</p><p><b>David Weintraub is a writer, filmmaker and environmental troublemaker who runs the Center for Cultural Preservation. He can be reached at 828-692-8062 or www.saveculture.org.</p>